Vatican unveils anime theme mascot full of Catholic symbolism for its Jubilee Year which will be exhibited at the World Expo in Japan
The Pro-Prefect of the Vatican Dicastry for Evangelisation, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, on Monday unveiled a anime themed mascot infused with Catholic symbolism in an effort to reach young people in the New Evangelisation.
It marks the first time a Vatican dicastery has taken part in such an event, which the archbishop said “will allow us to speak to younger generations about the theme of hope, which is more central than ever in the evangelical message”.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella unveils the Catholic Church’s new mascot Luce. Pic: Grzegorz Galazka/SIPA/Shutterstock
The chibi mascot, named Luce — which means “light” in Italian — is intended to engage a younger audience and guide visitors through the Holy Jubilee Year 2025.
The mascot will debut this week at the Lucca Comics and Games, Italy’s celebrated convention for all things comics, video games, and fantasy, where the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization will host a space dedicated to “Luce and Friends.”
The plastic figurine designed by Simone Legno, the Italian co-founder of the pop culture brand tokidoki, alos crafted companion pilgrims for Luce called Fe, Xin, and Sky, each outfitted in brightly coloured jackets.
Legno, who admitted a lifelong love for Japanese pop culture, said he hopes that “Luce can represent the sentiments that resonate in the hearts of the younger generations.”
The Vatican on Oct. 28, 2024, unveiled the official mascot for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year: “Luce,” which is Italian for “light.” Credit: Simone Legno/tokidoki/Vatican Media
Luce is fused with a lot of Catholic symbolism. Clad as a pilgrim making her way through the storms of life. her jacket is yellow the colour of the Vatican flag. Her blue hair represents the blue cloak of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her green boots symbolises hope and the mud represents the drudgeries of life.
She sports the Rosary as a call for a prayerful life and holds a walking staff representing perseverance.
Her mission is to guide young pilgrims toward hope and faith with her trusty dog Santino at her side. Shells glimmer in her eyes, recalling the scallop shell of the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James.
The Way is a network of pilgrims’ routes leading to the shrine of St James the Apostle in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.
Her unveiling spawned a lot of cartoons
Luce, will also be the face of the Holy See’s pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, where she will represent the Vatican’s pavilion theme, “Beauty Brings Hope,” alongside Caravaggio’s “The Entombment of Christ,” a painting that will be temporarily on loan from the Vatican Museums for the expo.
Marc Chagall’s “White Crucifixion” is on loan from The Art Institute of Chicago
A jubilee is a special holy year of grace and pilgrimage in the Catholic Church and takes place every 25 years, though the pope can call for extraordinary jubilee years more often, such as in the case of the 2016 Year of Mercy or the 2013 Year of Faith.
A host of cultural events have been organised by the Vatican to accompany the lead-up to the jubilee year, including a concert on Nov. 3 of Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5” and an art exhibit of Marc Chagall’s “White Crucifixion” painting, which will be on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago to be displayed in Rome’s Museo del Corso from Nov. 27 to Jan. 27.
Caravaggio’s “The Entombment of Christ
The jubilee year itself will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve 2024, welcoming an anticipated 30 million pilgrims into Rome by the time the Holy Year ends on Jan. 6, 2026.
Source X/CNA/VNA